Anyone kept or keeping wolf spiders?

[Towerchick]

I saw one outside on my patio last night but I opted not to catch it. Then, this morning there was another one in my bathroom when I went to take a shower so I caught that one and have it in a jar with some of the same substrate I keep my T's on (50/50 peat/vermiculite).

I don't know how to tell the difference between the sexes but some of them I see seem to have more distinct markings on the abdomen and those are also "skinnier" than the other ones I see that have a darker abdomen and are a little fatter. The one I decided to catch was one of the darker fatter ones, so for whatever reason I guess it would be cool if it was female. Do these guys darken up before a moult like some T's? Could I be seeing premoult and non-premoult spiders in my yard or could the coloring be the difference between the sexes?

I have noticed that all of the wolf spiders I have been seeing lately around the house are all similar in size (approx. 3/4 inch) so I wonder if they are all from the same egg sack. I know nothing of the population density of wolf spiders in my yard but surely it is no coincidence that all of them I see are almost identical in size at this point. The last big one I saw was about 2 months ago and it was in the little chamber out in my yard where the water meter is. It was one of the fatter dark ones and I shooed it out without killing it. The week before I saw that big one in the water meter area, I killed a large black widow spider in the same area so it must be a favorite spider hang out in my yard.

Anyone got any tips on humidity and temp requirements for the wolfies in my area? I am assuming that since they live outside and inside my house then just keeping them with no special care, other than a little misting every now and then will be fine since they are native to my climate. How often will these little buggers eat? How often will they moult? Do they burrow? It seems like they wander alot so I assume they are not burrowers. Oh well, I guess I have rambled on enough in this post so I will get back to work. Any info anyone can provide will be appreciated.



Oh yeah, Pandinus, I originally started this thread in the Tarantula forum and a kind moderator moved it here for me!

@kosh- I thought that the sex could be distinguished by looking at the pedipalps?

I recently caught 17 wolf spiders in a two day period in my basement. No joke. Being that they were the same size and caught along the same wall spanning over two rooms, I assume that they were siblings as well. Anyhow, in regards to the egg sac prior to winter, if I'm not mistaken, wolf spiders lay sacs in the winter which will hatch 2-3 weeks later, but the babies stay in the egg sac over the winter and emerge in the spring.

 

[Veles]

@kosh- I thought that the sex could be distinguished by looking at the pedipalps?

I recently caught 17 wolf spiders in a two day period in my basement. No joke. Being that they were the same size and caught along the same wall spanning over two rooms, I assume that they were siblings as well. Anyhow, in regards to the egg sac prior to winter, if I'm not mistaken, wolf spiders lay sacs in the winter which will hatch 2-3 weeks later, but the babies stay in the egg sac over the winter and emerge in the spring.

most wolf spiders carry their egg sacs with themselves, younglings hitch a ride on their mothers back too

 

[Towerchick]

most wolf spiders carry their egg sacs with themselves, younglings hitch a ride on their mothers back too

Oh yes, wolf spiders are best known for the mothers carrying their babies on their back. (Which is terrifying for those who don't like spiders and think they're smashing one...only to see that "one" burst outwards as a series of tiny baby spiders!). But, as far as what wolf spiders do with egg sacs that are laid during winter- I swear that I'd read somewhere that the egg sac (along with the spiders themselves) undergoes a winterization/hibernation type of thing and although they "hatch", they don't emerge from the sac until it's warm enough to do so. Which, once they do, they'd hop a ride on mamma's back.
I'm going to poke around the internet and see what I can find. I could be mistaken.

I stand corrected. It is OTHER SPIDERS, not the wolf spider that does the egg sac hibernation thing.

What’s Inside A Spider Egg Sac This Time of Year May Surprise You

Some species of spiders (including wolf and jumping spiders) overwinter as young adults and mate/lay eggs in the spring. Many spiders, however, mate in the fall, after which they lay eggs and die. …

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